Marial Awendit is a poet, satirist, fine artist and a songwriter, from South Sudan.
His
poems have been published in the Brittle Paper, Kalahari Review, African
writer, Praxis Magazine Online, Best New African Poets 2016 Anthology and
elsewhere. He won the 2016 South Sudan Talent Youth award for Best Poet. He
writes from his hometown, Yerul, Eastern Lakes State, where he works with
Caritas-D.o.R -a humanitarian aid organization.
Q: What was the process of
writing your particular poem, 38 Photographs of Depression?
A: I had fallen in deep grief after my brother was killed by a kinsman
on 28th March, 2014 and the resultant death of my father on 4th
November, 2014. I could not at all see anything worthwhile in a world that I
will have to walk through for the rest of my life. My body had dimmed against
my will. I was depressed, I was told. In 2015, I had this thought of wanting to
purge myself of the night inside me, through poetry, but didn’t. I actualized
that on 28th March of 2017, explaining what I feel while being
honest to myself and the Universe, but it was then just 28 Photographs of
Depression. I kept it intact in my case until I made it to 38 Photographs of
Depression one good afternoon in September of 2017.
Q: What
does poetry mean to you?
A: (Giggles). I am in deep gratitude for poetry. I am not sure now if
what I breathe in is poetry or oxygen. Poetry is the boat that ferries this
half-dead body housing a living soul through the world. My hammer for crafting
and finding pleasure. I get resurrected in a poem when dead in the world.
Q: What are
your five year goals with your poetry?
A: I am devotedly aiming at having 3 poetry collections and 2 chapbooks
out before the end of 2021, Inshallah. All aimed at achieving complete beauty.
Q: Which African poets are you keen on
reading?
A: I believe Africa is blessed with beautiful poets. I find peace in
reading J.K. Anowe (my favorite), Warsan Shire, Leila Chatti, Sahro Ali, Romeo
Oriogun and Safia Elhillo.
Q: What are
some of the challenges you face with poetry?
A: I lack a writing space and time. Where I live, I have to balance
writing and a tight job. Sometimes in writing from my unique social context as
mine, I feel alienated by the literary world, depicting poetry to me as unappreciative
of certain contexts. I also have a very hard time keeping my works safe. On 17th
May, 2016, I lost 150 poems to a close conspirator. Hitherto, I have either
recovered or restructured only a hundred poems.
Q: Is there
anything of importance you would share with the literature teachers, who are
reading this?
A: Teachers of literature ought to identify a talent in writing and
nurture that talent. Poetry taught should be a curative form of expression so
it can be a tool for social change. I have experienced that effective. Look,
the poem on this shortlist was intended to cure me. You can easily explain now
how much I got cured making it to the Babishai Niwe Poetry Award shortlist with
a poem that was meant to only heal me.
Q: Any parting remarks?
A: Gawd! The works on that
shortlist are fireworks but I probably would not have seen them if the Babishai
Niwe Poetry Foundation never thought of a poetry prize, just like I would have
not been here. Poetry is creation, BNPA is creation! Thank you Babishai Niwe!
Thank you Africa!
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The #Babishai2018 shortlist can be read here:
